Igniter for gasolene-engines.



PATENTED MAYJ5, 1903.

J. MoGLUER, IGNITER FOR GASOLENB ENGINES.

APPLICATION IILBD JUN E 9, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

Inventor. J y MC'lgler 2;, Max,

Witnesses.

Attorney.

04: NORRS PETERS cc. mow-Una. \vnsmuarcn,

UNITED ST TE Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAY MCOLUER, OF SPRINGLAKE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALOYS BILZ, OF SPRINGLAKE, MICHIGAN.

IGNITER FOR IGAJVSOLENE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming'plart of Letters Patent No. 726,971; dated May 5, 1903. Application filed June 9, 19 02. Serial No. 110,932. (No model.)

My invention relates to improvements in igniters for gasolene or naphtha engines; and its objects are, first, to provide a broad central bearing for the hammer that actuates the electrode for producing an electric spark' within the cylinder; second, to provide means whereby the several elements of the sparking device may be readily and conveniently removed and replaced in case of accident, and,

third, to provide a means whereby the motion of the engine-shaft may be easily and readily reversed and with which the engine will run equally well and strong whether the shaft be revolving to the'right or to the left. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a naphtha-en gine with my igniter in place. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the yoke, hammer, and trip of the igniter detached from the cylinder, and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts th roughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the cylinder, B represents the main shaft, Q represents-the crank, D is the pitman or connecting-rod, E the eccentric, F the eccentric-rod, Q is an outline of the fiywheel, and Bis an outline of the piston, of an ordinary gasolene or naphtha engine, shown here for the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention, which consists wholly in the application and construction of the ignitingor sparking mechanism, in which the hammer H is provided with a long cylindrical bearing H, projecting practically equidistant each side of the hammer, thus providing a central bearing for the hammer and averting all possible danger of the hammer becoming worn and loose in its bearing upon the shaft N and insuring a perfect central square stroke of the hammer upon the yoke.

The yoke I is made substantially the form I pivoted to a suitable support, as at 9.

shown in Fig. 3 and is designed to be attached to the shaft N, which passes entirely through it and the bearing H of the hammer. The shaft N is presumed to be identical with the shaft in common use upon this class of engines, the inner end projecting through the cylinder and-being provided with an electrode'O, which coacts with the electrode 0 on the cylinder to produce an electric spark at the desired time and in the usual manner andpasses thence out through the wall of the cylinder through the yoke I, to which it is securely attached, through the sleeve H, which is free to oscillate freely around the shaft, and the outer end may be supported by the bracket or arm M, thus insuring the perfect alinement of the shaft at all times. The end of the-electrode O is held in contact with the lower end of the electrode 0 by the flat spring L, and the hammeris held to normal position upon the end of the yoke by the folded spring J, connected to the hammer by means of the stirrup 72 and to the yoke by means of the single screw 2'. By this arrangement the spring L may be readily removed by simply removing the single screw it from the supporting-arm 'K, and the spring J maybe as readily removed by the removal of the single screw 2', thus rendering the repairing of these parts easy, convenient, and at all times possible; and to remove the yoke it is only necessary to remove the screw m and whatever device may be used to secure the yoke to the shaft N, when the yokemay be drawn from over the shaft and the hammervremoved and replaced at pleasure.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated my device as ap plied to new engines, in which case I greatly prefer that the upper end of the eccentric-rod F be pivoted to the free end of a rocker-arm G, as at g, the other end of said arm being This arm should be so adjusted that when the eccentric E is at .its lowest point the arm will lie about at right angles'with the eccentricrod, and when the eccentric is raised to its highest position, as indicatedin Figfl, the upper end of the eccentric-rod will have been made to gradually recede from the end of the hammer H, and thus tend to draw the trip from under the end of the hammer more readily than if the eccentric traveled upon a direct line. The trip T is pivoted directly to the eccentric rod F, as at f, and is actuated to throw its upper end under the end of the hammer H by the spring S, and to prevent it from passing too far under the end of the hammer,or, rather, to regulateits position and bearing under the hammer, I place a regulating-screw P through the eccentric-rod in position to check the trip when it has passed to the proper position under the hammer.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the engine with the fiy-wheel removed for the purpose of being able to show the position of the eccentric when ignition takes place, and here may be mentioned a fourth and very desirable object attained by my invention-that is, that I am enabledto produce a spark and a consequent explosion without making a complete revolution of the shaft. This is attained as follows: The eccentric E should be set in exact alinement-with the crank C. (With the ordinary naptha-engine the eccentric is set considerably ahead of the crank, necessary because of the ordinary application of the trip, which causes the explosion to take place so far ahead of the crank as to render it impos sible to run the engine backward more than two or three revolutions.) With the eccentric set in exact alinement with the crank, as hereinbefore intimated, and with the trip T secured directly to the eccentric-rod the explosion will take place at the same relative point from the center whichever way the shaft may be running, and to produce a spark and the consequent explosion within the cylinder it is simply necessary to carry the crank from the lower center up to the point U or V, depending upon which way it is desired to run the shaft. Thus if it is desired to run the shaft in the direction of the arrow W the crank must be carried in the direction of the arrow WV to the point V, when the trip will be drawn from under the hammer and a spark and explosion produced and the shaft thrown back in the direction of the arrow W toward the point Uand beyond, causing the engine to pass the upper center and continue its revolutions in this direction so long as the necessary gas is admitted to the cylinder. On the other hand, if it is desired to revolve the shaft in the opposite direction, or in the direction of the arrow W, the crank must be carried to the point U,when the same action hereinbefore described takes place, except that the shaft is driven in the opposite direction, and the great advantage attained is that it runs equally Well and as strong one way as the other, the action of the engine and the effect of the explosions of vapor being absolutely the same, an object that has never before been attained to my knowledge with engines of this class.

In Fig. 2, G indicates a stationary bearing for the upper end of the eccentric-rod. I use this only when placing my device upon engines that have been constructed with an ordinary hammer and trip and with the actuating-trip working in vertical ways without sidewise oscillation either at the top or bottom; but I do not deem this form nearly as desirable as the rocker-arm G, (shown in Fig. 1,) as greater accuracy must be used in the adjustment of the trip.

I do not deem it necessary to enter into a detailed description of the action of the hammer H, the yoke I, thetrip T, and the sparking mechanism within the cylinder, as they are practically identical with the same action of those already in use.

If it is desired to reverse the engine while running, throw the switch Y off and allow the engine to slack down sufiiciently so that the switch may be thrown in at the proper time to have the explosion take place as the crank is approaching the point U or V, as may be desired, when the throwing in of the switch will reverse the motion of the engine.

I have found that with the production of the spark just as the crank passes the point U or V on the upstroke of the engine the best possible results are attained, first, by reason of properly cushioning the piston as it approaches the upper center, and, second, in securing the greatest possible benefit of the explosion of the vapor upon the downstroke of the engine. A

One of the principal advantages of my device lies in the manner of supporting the hammer, as hereinbefore fully described, as compared with this mechanism now in use, with which the hammer has but one bearing upon the electrode-shaft and that to one side of the portion of the hammer that is forced upon the yoke to disconnect the electrodes to produce the spark, and a coiled spring is placed between the bearing of the hammer and the side of the yoke for actuating the hammer, which still increases the twisting leverage of the stroke of the hammer upon its bear-in g and causes it to soon become loose and uncertain in its action, and if the spring or any other portion of the hammer or sparking mechanism becomes disabled it is almost absolutely necessary to go to a shop for repairs and a long time is required to complete even slight repairs, all of which, it will be readily appreciated, are wholly obviated with the use of my device, as herein described and shown.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination with a gasolene-engine ICC and its electrodes and electrode-shaft; a yoke mounted upon said shaft and having two bearings thereon, a hammer having a long cylindrical bearin g upon said shaft between the bearings of the yoke, a fiat spring actuating the yoke, a folded spring secured to the yoke and connected with the back end of the ham mer and a trip actuating the front end of the hammer, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with a gasolene-engine and its electrodes and electrode-shaft, a yoke having two bearings upon said shaft, a hammer having a long central bearing upon said shaft between the bearings of the yoke, a supporting-bearing for said shaft outside of the yoke, an actuating-spring connected with said yoke and a separate support, an actuating-spring secured to said yoke and connected with the hammer, an eccentric-rod, a trip pivoted to said rod in position to actuate the hammer, an actuating-spring and regulating screw connected therewith, and a rocker-arm pivoted to and guiding the upper end of the eccentric-rod, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the shaft, crank, electrodes and electrode-shaft of a gasoleneengine, a yoke having two bearings upon said Signed at Springlake, Michigan, May 22, 30

JAY MCOLUERI In presence of- JAMES TREELER, MARY E. SWANsoN. 

